An Inverted Pyramid

While we were dialing in our macros the other day in “Chronometer,” the nutrition tracking app we both use, we started discussing the new governmental food recommendations released by the current administration. The conversation went to a comment one of us had seen recently about “Lucky Charms” (an extruded wheat grain cereal with tons of added sugar and red dye 40) being more nutritious for breakfast than whole foods like meat and eggs.

The recommendation that processed breakfast cereal is healthier than whole foods is an obvious lie. So we decided to do some research to see if we could understand how the USDA could get something as important as nutrition so screwed up. We were sure we would unravel the mystery if we followed the money trail. Money is the reason for most government mysteries (code for lies), and we expect it’s why the government provides inaccurate and harmful nutritional advice.

Conflict of Interest

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that powerful corporate interests were behind the Food Pyramid and the My Plate program that followed it. They both mirror the financial interests of the food and farming consortiums that hold the USDA hostage. You know, the same industries the USDA is supposed to regulate. It’s also fishy that the PR firm representing McDonald’s and the Snack Food Association designed the new guidelines.  

A lawsuit was filed against the USDA when it was discovered that half of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee had financial ties to the food industry. The USDA said nah, no conflict of interest here, while they subsidize the wheat, corn, rice, and soybean growers, with billions of dollars a year. These crops are used primarily for the production of processed foods, high-fructose syrup, and vegetable oils. 

“A diet rich in fruits and vegetables plays a role in reducing the risk of all major causes of illness and death.” ~ Walter Willet

Sadly, the farms that grow vegetables and fruit receive almost no subsidies. There’s something else those subsidized crops are extensively used for. Fattening up chickens, pigs, and cows for slaughter. Which is pretty much what the USDA food pyramid diet does to humans. The entire bottom of the pyramid is full of foods that should be avoided, not made the base of your diet.

Less Grain not More

It’s no wonder that obesity is rampant. Your body processes bread, cereal, and starch the same way it processes sugar.  When you overeat grains, you turn off your body’s fat-burning engine, which always burns sugar first when it’s present before it burns fat.  Eating processed grains sabotages your metabolism and mitochondrial health. 

The Western diet, which closely matches the government-sponsored food pyramid, is the leading cause of death and disease in the U.S. They tell you genetics are the problem, but genetics aren’t the problem. You are what you eat, so if you’re eating like a cow getting fattened for slaughter, what do you think is going to happen?

Since the government started promoting vegetable and seed oils as the heart-healthy alternative to saturated fat and filled the bottom of the food pyramid with 6 – 11 servings of grain and refined starches, the rates of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes have exploded. At one point though, in the 80s, a nutrition expert for the USDA designed a Food Pyramid for optimal health – you just never got to see it! 

“The greatest wealth is health.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lunacy

Luise Light, Ed.D., was teaching at New York University when the Department of Agriculture recruited her to create a Food Guide. Her job was to replace the “Four Basic Food Groups” concept that I grew up with back in the ’60s. Light’s original pyramid was designed to promote a diet of vegetables, fruits, and meat, with a limited amount of grain and starch. 

The final draft scuttled most of her recommendations, and she was shocked when she saw that the USDA made changes that had nothing to do with improving health and nutrition – and everything to do with protecting the profits of Big Ag & Big Food! Light’s recommendation of 3 servings of whole-grain bread and cereals was changed to 6-11 servings. “Follow the Money.” 

The present obesity epidemic is connected to these misguided recommendations!  The idea that the foundation of a healthy diet should be anchored to 11 servings of grain is complete LUNACY! Crackers, baked goods, and processed starches were moved from the top to the base, where they presently make up the bulk of the American diet. Over her strenuous objections, the Food Pyramid was approved. 

Epidemic

Afterward, Light wrote, “The health consequences of encouraging the public to eat so much refined grain, is frightening.” She clearly stated to the USDA that their Food Pyramid would lead to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. And here we are – Two out of three Americans are overweight or obese. 

“How much obesity has to be created in a single decade for people to realize that diet has to be responsible for it? ~ Robert Atkins

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that the number of children who are overweight has doubled in the last couple of decades. Heart disease and diabetes are among the leading causes of death. The message is loud and clear. The USDA or any other government agency is the last entity you should trust for health and nutrition recommendations. It can get confusing looking for answers as the USDA is not the only group providing poor or confusing nutritional recommendations. Internet influencers are everywhere, peddling a myriad of dietary advice. Vegan is the only way; animals are friends, not food. Carnivore is King; eat like a lion. Low Carb, Keto, Fat for Fuel, Paleo, and so on. 

Personal Protocol

Some of these protocols have good points and may even help heal a broken metabolism, but you’re unique, which means your best food pyramid is the one that works for your biochemistry, genetics, and microbiome. We have tried a few, experimenting and attempting to find what works best for our bodies and metabolism.  The key to any of them is to remove inflammatory foods from the diet and anything that’s not food, like hydrogenated oils, enriched white flour, lab-created vitamins, and chemical agents used to stabilize, texture, bind, or color “fake food.” We presently eat a bioenergetic diet, sometimes referred to as pro-metabolic. 

“The toxicity of unsaturated oils for the heart is well established, though not well known by the public.” ~ Ray Peat

Ray Peat was the originator, and the bioenergetic lifestyle is gaining plenty of attention currently. What we love about it is that there are no hard, fast rules. Creating your bioenergetic diet is about being aware of how your body reacts to what you eat; it’s an artistic and scientific endeavor that is both exciting and fun. I have little doubt that the USDA Food Pyramid and the My Plate recommendations are inverted or upside down.

But perhaps we can learn something from an inverted pyramid; it symbolizes a reversal of perspective or a shift in how we approach life, encouraging us to view things differently. The base is broader than its top, promoting balance and harmony. The upside-down pyramid represents transformation and personal growth, reminding us that we must turn our attention inward before we can truly experience the beauty of the Great Wide World. Turn that pyramid upside down!

Eat To Live, Live To Eat